The Miracle Worker is a powerful, moving story about how Helen Keller was shown the light through language. The Oscar wins for Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft are deserving, and the former's performance is in the top ten of all time. It's impossible not to be moved by all of this.

Full of powerful scenes set in Ireland, My Left Foot proves why Daniel Day-Lewis is such a gifted actor. However, not much of credit is given to the youth named Hugh O'Conor who's his equal as Christy Brown who was born with severe cerebral palsy that left him almost entirely paralyzed. Brenda Fricker is also special in an Oscar-winning performance.

An epic of Ron Kovic's life with lots of highs and lows, Born on the Fourth of July is the one Tom Cruise will be remembered for eternity. It's to Oliver Stone's credit for making the film seamless and moving. He also takes advantage of Ron Kovic's autobiographical story to tell how one disabled Vietnam veteran went from an idealistic patriot to a cynical, jaded hater because of the lies that were spoon-fed to him.

Brilliant writing, brilliant acting, and brilliant story. After sloshing around in the world of alcohol and therefore wasting his talent for years, Richard Burton makes the greatest comeback of all time by appearing in Equus as psychiatrist Martin Dysart by giving a fiery but focused performance. His riveting soliloquies are the stuff of greats. On the other hand, Peter Firth is unforgettable. It's a singular peformance.

Lorenzo's Oil is about Ordone's son who was diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) and the parents' quest to find a miracle cure for the deadly genetic disease because they refused to stand still and watch him die without taking any action. Nick Nolte gives a brilliant performance as the father.

Forget Forrest Gump; this is the one to see. Peter Sellers gives the best performance of his career in Being There. He's brilliant. What a hard role to pull off: the ability to be oblivious in a child-like way yet be taken for a genius. Hal Ashby's magic is obviously there. It's the last masterpiece of his career. Being There has a great story that's as airtight as it gets.

It's an outstanding film with a very strong script that's most likely a variation of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. At age 27, Tom Cruise was a highly mature actor, showing why nobody in modern cinema will ever measure up to him. As for the term "autistic savant," it became part of the national lexicon when Dustin Hoffman introduced it in a big way.

Promise is the most-honored movie in television history. James Woods has a beautiful moment that perfectly describes what it's like to be a schizophrenic. The zenith of the disability occurs when he's vacationing at the cabin. It's his most manic episode: just moving at 100 miles per hour with no regard for realities of life only to crash down after being atop the make-believe castle.

Shine is an inspiring picture about the life of David Helfgott who spent years in institutions after suffering a mental breakdown. Playing him, Geoffrey Rush, who's aided by Noah Taylor's strong performance as a youth, won the Oscar for Best Actor. Although Armin Mueller-Stahl is outstanding, his father character wasn't true in real life.

One of the most touching films made, The Elephant Man is the one that forced the Academy Awards to start rewarding makeup artists the following year. John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins are masterful, and Freddie Francis' black-and-white cinematography is top-notch.

Leonardo DiCaprio's greatest performance lies in What's Eating Gilbert Grape which is nothing short of astonishing. It's the most accurate representation of a mentally impaired kid. Darlene Cates plays the other disabled character, having been rendered incapable of moving around due to her morbid obesity.

Here's a great one from Peter Bogdanovich: Mask. A beautiful, moving film with a sad ending, it's the story of Rocky Dennis and how craniodiaphyseal dysplasia has impacted his life. All performances are top-notch, but the true standouts are Eric Stoltz, Cher, and Sam Elliott. Three of the most interesting aspects of Mask are: Cher's soulful eyes, Sam Elliott's classy presence, and the camaraderie among the bikers.

Ray Liotta and Tom Hulce turn in impressive acting jobs. The issue with Dominick is tough to think about because it's somewhat unfair to Eugene to deal with it and try to have time for himself while hoping for his twin brother's independence. Therefore, the situation presents no easy answers because it's difficult to deal with somebody who has serious cognitive disability.

Showing a mix of dumb and (more of) intelligence, Karl Childers will live forever as one of the great icons in Southern Gothic cinema. It's hard to forget the six-minute scene when he tells his life story. That has to be one of the finest ways to introduce a character. If there's only one film in Billy Bob Thornton's oeuvre to choose from, you must make it Sling Blade.

One of the great anti-war pictures that tells a profound story of ex-soldiers who are left scarred by their wartime experience, Coming Home is wonderfully shot with superlative acting performances by Jon Voight, Jane Fonda, Bruce Dern, and Penelope Milford. The first two came away as Oscar winners while the rest were nominated.